Green River (band)
Green River |
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Green River was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active from 1984 to 1988. Although the band had little commercial impact outside of its native Seattle, Green River proved to have significant influence on the genre later known as grunge, both with its own music and with the music its members would create in future bands including Pearl Jam and Mudhoney. In 2008, Green River reunited and has since played several live shows.
History
Green River (named after the then at-large serial killer of the same name) was formed in early 1984 by vocalist/guitarist Mark Arm, guitarist Steve Turner, drummer Alex Vincent and bassist Jeff Ament.[1] Guitarist Stone Gossard then joined the band to allow Arm to concentrate on singing. Prior to joining, each member had played with punk and hardcore groups. Arm and Turner had played together in both Mr Epp & The Calculations and the Limp Richerds. Turner had also performed with Vincent in Spluii Numa, and Gossard in The Ducky Boys. Ament had been asked to join after moving from Montana with his band Deranged Diction.
By late 1984, the band was playing shows in and around Seattle. In December 1984, the band began production on its first record, Come on Down. However, by the time the band finished the record in early 1985, Turner had left the group, citing his distaste with the rest of the band's heavy metal leanings.[1] He was replaced by former Deranged Diction guitarist Bruce Fairweather.
In mid-1985, the band embarked on its first nationwide tour to promote the now completed Come on Down EP. Release of the record was delayed however, thus negating the purpose of the tour. From all accounts the experience was less than positive, though it did help cement alliances with other emerging American indie rock bands. Among them was Sonic Youth, who later quoted the song "Come on Down" on its own composition "Nevermind (What Was It Anyway)". After the tour, Come on Down was finally released by the New York-based Homestead Records. The record was released to little fanfare, and did not sell well. However it is often considered the first album to be released by a "grunge" band, as it predated both the Deep Six compilation album and the Melvins' debut album.
In 1986, the band continued to play in and around the Pacific Northwest to steadily larger crowds (especially in the band's hometown of Seattle). Early in the year, the now legendary Deep Six compilation album was released on the local C/Z Records label. Alongside two Green River songs, the compilation features the music of fellow Washington bands Soundgarden, Melvins, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard and the U-Men. Kathleen C. Fennessy of Allmusic stated that the compilation "documents a formative period in Northwest rock history."[2]
In June 1986, the band began production on its second EP, Dry As a Bone, with local producer Jack Endino. Green River chose to record Dry As a Bone for Bruce Pavitt's new label, Sub Pop. However, Pavitt couldn't afford to release it until the following year, and, as had happened with Come on Down, the record was delayed. In the meantime the band issued the one-off "Together We'll Never" single on the local Tasque Force Records label. Dry As a Bone was finally released through Sub Pop in July 1987, a full year after it was recorded. It was the new label's first non-compilation release. Dry As a Bone was promoted by Sub Pop as "ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation."[3] Steve Huey of Allmusic called it Green River's "strongest individual release...perfecting their sleazy, raucous fusion of '70s hard rock and post-hardcore punk."[4]
Almost immediately following the release of Dry As a Bone, the group re-entered the studio to begin production on its first full-length album, Rehab Doll. Band in-fighting, though, took center stage over the music. A stylistic division developed between Ament and Gossard on one side, and Arm on the other.[3] Ament and Gossard wanted to pursue a major-label deal, while Arm wanted to remain independent, viewing the duo as being too careerist.[1] The in-fighting came to a head following an October 1987 show in Los Angeles, California. Apparently, without informing the group Ament had filled the show's guest list with major label representatives, instead of the band's friends, only to have two of the representatives appear.[1] On October 31, 1987, Ament, Gossard and Fairweather stated their desire to quit the band. Although the band members agreed to complete production of Rehab Doll during the next three months, Green River had by late October 1987 ceased as a band. Rehab Doll was released in June 1988. Ned Raggett of Allmusic called it "a record that sounded caught somewhere between grunge mania and metal/corp rock folly."[5]
A Green River reunion occurred on November 30, 1993 during a Pearl Jam concert in Las Vegas, Nevada. Participating in the reunion were Arm, Turner, Gossard, Ament and Chuck Treece, who filled in on drums for Vincent, who at that time was living in Japan. The band performed the songs "Swallow My Pride" and "Ain't Nothing to Do" before leaving the stage. Green River reunited for four shows in 2008. The line-up for the shows included Ament, Arm, Turner, Vincent, Gossard, and Fairweather. The first show was a warm-up show on July 10, 2008 at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle. The band next played on July 13, 2008 at Marymoor Park near Seattle to honor Sub Pop's 20th anniversary.[6] Green River played another live show on November 28, 2008 at Dante's in Portland, Oregon. Afterward, the band played on November 29, 2008 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate The Supersuckers' 20th anniversary.[7] Green River played on May 22, 2009 and May 23, 2009 at the Showbox in Seattle to celebrate the Melvins' 25th anniversary.[8][9] Green River has tentative plans to record a new studio album when the band members' schedules permit, to release a remixed and remastered version of the band's debut EP, Come on Down, containing bonus material, and to possibly tour.[10]
Post-Green River
After the break-up, Arm and Turner began rehearsing together. They recruited bassist Matt Lukin (formerly of Melvins) and drummer Dan Peters (of Bundle of Hiss and Feast) to form Mudhoney in January 1988. Mudhoney quickly gained popularity in the Seattle scene, with debut releases "Touch Me I'm Sick" and Superfuzz Bigmuff receiving positive reviews in the music press. Since releasing its debut album in 1989, Mudhoney has recorded a further seven albums and continues to tour.
Following the demise of Green River in late 1987, Gossard, Ament and Fairweather formed the short-lived covers band Lords of the Wasteland with Malfunkshun frontman Andrew Wood. By early 1988 the Lords of the Wasteland had become Mother Love Bone. Mother Love Bone quickly rose to popularity in the Seattle scene, and were about to release its debut album in 1990, when Wood fatally overdosed on heroin. That same year, Ament and Gossard (along with Chris Cornell, Matt Cameron, Mike McCready, and a guest appearance by Eddie Vedder) recorded the Andrew Wood tribute album Temple of the Dog (amidst the formation of the band Pearl Jam), which went on to achieve international mainstream success. After Temple of the Dog, Gossard and Ament founded Pearl Jam along with Mike McCready of Shadow, Eddie Vedder of Bad Radio, and Dave Krusen. Pearl Jam rocketed to fame with its debut album Ten and is still active today. Pearl Jam has released nine studio albums in total and continues to tour.
Fairweather joined Gossard and Ament as a member of Mother Love Bone. Following the band's demise, he replaced Tommy Simpson on bass in the psychedelic rock band Love Battery in 1992. He played on two of the band's albums and many of its tours before leaving that band as well and dropping off the radar. In 2006, he resurfaced in The Press Corps, with Garret Shavlik (The Fluid) and Dan Peters (Mudhoney). Vincent, Green River's drummer, moved to Japan after the break-up and did not return to the United States for many years.
Green River Demos
Alex Vincent:
New God and Tunnel of Love were the only songs from the 1984 demo to later appear (in different recordings) on Come on Down; the 1985 demo erroneously labels these same recordings as Personality Meltdown and Leech, respectively. The untitled track, which cuts off after about 20 seconds, appears only on the 1984 demo. The same recordings of Leech, Fear, Baby Help Me, and 33 rps also appear on both demos (as 33 RPM [which makes more sense than 33 rps], Against the Grain, Baby Help Me Forget, and New God, respectively). Finally, an early and radically different version of 10,000 Things (from the Deep Six compilation) appears here as Twist.
The 1985 demo contains a version of Bazaar that doesnt appear on the 1984 demo and differs from the version on Another Pyrrhic Victory. Finally, Together Well Never sounds to like it came from another source; perhaps this version appeared on the Tasque Force Records Together Well Never/ Aint Nothing to Do single (which I never owned), as its not the version on Rehab Doll; the mp3 has loads and loads of hiss, as if it were a tenth-generation tape.
Also, for the hell of it, Im throwing in The Melvins cover of Leech, from Gluey Porch Treatments. The mp3s tag mislabels the song, but rest assured, its the right track.
"Leech" was part of the first demo session we did in the summer of 1984, in a studio run by Chris Hanzek (which was sweltering). It was in the same session of songs that you can find on the green 7 bootleg of 33 RPMs and 10,000 Things. The only reason we didnt record it for Come On Down was because we were probably just so tired of it by that time-and we had so many more songs. (You can always check out the differences of 10,000 Things on the bootleg and on the [[Deep Six[]]omp. They sound like two completely different songs-so Im pretty sure that "Leech" got tossed by the wayside like that one did.)
The Melvins had a copy of the first demo tape and I know they liked it, so they did a cover of it. (Better than we did it)
Also, not on the demo that you have is the song "Take Me," which was part of the same session.
Oh, and - I don't know if it is marked on the 1984 demos but it's all pre-Stone.
Tracklisting:
- "New God"
- "Tunnel of Love"
- "Personality Meltdown (Sung By Steve Turner)"
- "Leech"
- "10,000 Things"
- "Against The Grain"
- "Baby, Help Me Forget"
- "33 R.P.M."
- "Together We'll Never"
- "Bazaar"
Legacy
Green River made little commercial impact outside of Seattle, but what the band lacked in commercial success however it made up for in influence. In general, Green River is widely regarded as being one of the originators of the genre later known as grunge. With its sludgy mix of hard rock, punk and metal, heavily influenced by Iggy Pop's original proto-punk group The Stooges, coupled with Arm's twisted lyrics and vocal delivery, Green River greatly influenced both its peers and bands that followed them. Even without the fact that some of its members would later go on to form some of the biggest bands of the Northwest music scene, Green River is still remembered for its musical foresight and innovation, years ahead of the rise of grunge.
Band members
- Jeff Ament – bass
- Mark Arm – vocals
- Steve Turner – guitar (1984–1985, 2008–present)
- Alex Vincent – drums
- Stone Gossard – guitar
- Bruce Fairweather – guitar (1985–1988, 2008–present)
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1988 | Rehab Doll |
Compilations
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1990 | Dry As a Bone/Rehab Doll
|
Extended plays
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Come on Down
|
| 1987 | Dry As a Bone
|
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Together We'll Never" | Non-album single |
Other appearances
| Year | Song | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 |
"10,000 Things" |
Deep Six | C/Z |
| 1988 |
"Searchin' (Good Things Come)" |
Motor City Madness | Glitterhouse |
|
"Hangin' Tree" |
Sub Pop 200 | Sub Pop | |
| 1989 |
"Bazaar" |
Another Pyrrhic Victory: The Only Compilation of Dead Seattle God Bands | C/Z |
| 1990 |
"Ain't Nothing to Do" |
Endangered Species | Glitterhouse |
| 1996 |
"Swallow My Pride" (1987 demo) |
Hype!: The Motion Picture Soundtrack | Sub Pop |
See also
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d Huey, Steve. "Green River". Allmusic. Retrieved on June 13, 2005.
- ^ Fennessy, Kathleen C. "Deep Six". Allmusic.
- ^ a b Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. Little, Brown and Company, 2001. ISBN 0-316-78753-1
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Dry As a Bone". Allmusic.
- ^ Ned Raggett. "Rehab Doll". Allmusic.
- ^ "Cult rock band Green River to reunite for show". Reuters. October 2, 2007.
- ^ Hay, Travis. "REVIEW: Supersuckers, Green River & Zeke @ Showbox at the Market". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. December 1, 2008.
- ^ "Showbox Presents Melvins with Green River". showboxonline.com.
- ^ "Showbox Presents Melvins with Green River". showboxonline.com.
- ^ Schaffer, James. "Green River Interview with drummer Alex Shumway". Rock-it In Space. May 30, 2009.